Marouane Fellaini facts for kids
Fellaini playing for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 22 November 1987 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m | |||||||||||||||
| Playing position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Mons | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | R. Francs Borains | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Sporting Charleroi | |||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Standard Liège | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Standard Liège | 64 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | Everton | 141 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Manchester United | 119 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Shandong Taishan | 108 | (39) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 432 | (85) | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Belgium U18 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Belgium U19 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Morocco U20 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Belgium U21 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2018 | Belgium | 87 | (18) | |||||||||||||
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Honours
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Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born on 22 November 1987) is a Belgian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder.
Fellaini was born in Etterbeek, Belgium. His parents were from Morocco. He started playing youth football at a young age. He played for several clubs like Anderlecht and Standard Liège.
After playing in Belgium, he moved to England. He joined Everton and later Manchester United. He won several trophies with Manchester United. These included the FA Cup, EFL Cup, and UEFA Europa League. After many years in England, he moved to China. He played for Shandong Taishan.
Fellaini also played for the Belgium national team. He played in the 2014 and 2018 World Cups. Belgium finished third in the 2018 tournament. He retired from international football in 2019. In February 2024, he announced his retirement from all professional football.
Contents
Early Life and Football Start
Marouane Fellaini was born in Brussels, Belgium. His parents were from Tangier, Morocco. His father, Abdellatif, was also a goalkeeper. He played football professionally in Morocco.
Fellaini started playing football when he was just 7 years old. He joined the academy at Anderlecht. He was very good at scoring goals, getting 26 in his first season. He also enjoyed athletics, especially long-distance running. However, his father helped him focus on football.
He moved to different youth clubs as he grew up. These included Mons and Sporting Charleroi. When he was 17, he signed his first professional contract. This was with Standard Liège.
Club Career Highlights
Starting Strong in Belgium
Fellaini played for Standard Liège from 2006 to 2008. He played 84 games and scored 11 goals. He was known for his strong heading ability. He also had great stamina. These skills made him one of the best box-to-box midfielders in Belgium. In 2008, he won the Ebony Shoe. This award goes to the best player of African descent in the Belgian league.
Moving to Everton
In September 2008, Fellaini joined Everton in England. The transfer fee was £15 million. This was a record for a Belgian player at the time. He made his first appearance for Everton on 14 September 2008. He scored his first goal for the team in October 2008. He scored 9 goals in his first season.
Fans in England recognized him for his big afro hairstyle. Everton supporters often wore afro wigs to show their support. During the 2008–09 season, he sometimes played as a second striker. This happened when other forwards were injured. Later, he returned to his usual defensive midfield role.
In 2011, Fellaini signed a new five-year contract with Everton. He was very good at winning the ball. He also made many passes. In the 2012–13 season, he started very well. He scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Manchester United. He continued to score important goals. He was named the Premier League Player of the Month for November 2012.
Playing for Manchester United
On 2 September 2013, Fellaini moved to Manchester United. He signed a four-year contract. The transfer fee was £27.5 million. He joined his former manager, David Moyes, there. He played his first game for Manchester United on 14 September. This was a 2–0 win against Crystal Palace.
2014–15 Season Success
Fellaini scored his first goal for Manchester United in a friendly game against Valencia. On 20 October 2014, he scored his first competitive goal. This was in a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion. He became a key player for manager Louis van Gaal. He scored important goals against teams like Chelsea and Manchester City. He scored seven goals in total during this season.
Winning Trophies
In the 2015–16 season, Fellaini helped Manchester United win the FA Cup. He scored in the semi-final against Everton. He played the full game in the final, where United won 2–1.
In the 2016–17 season, Fellaini won two more trophies. He helped Manchester United win the FA Community Shield and the EFL Cup. He also played in the 2017 UEFA Europa League Final. Manchester United won this final against Ajax. He continued to score goals for United in the 2017–18 season. He scored twice in a 4–0 win against Crystal Palace.
Leaving United
In the first half of the 2018–19 season, Fellaini played 19 games. He scored important goals in the EFL Cup and UEFA Champions League. However, after a change in manager, he played less often.
Moving to China
At the end of January 2019, Fellaini moved to China. He joined the club Shandong Taishan. He played there for five years. He scored many goals for the club. He helped them win the Chinese Super League in 2021. He also won the Chinese FA Cup three times. He played his last game for the club in the 2023 Chinese FA Cup final.
Retirement from Football
On 3 February 2024, Marouane Fellaini announced his retirement. He ended his career as a professional footballer.
International Career for Belgium
Fellaini could have played for Belgium or Morocco. He chose to play for Belgium. He played for their youth teams first. He also played for the under-23 team at the 2008 Olympics.
He made his debut for the senior Belgium team in February 2007. His first goal for Belgium was against Portugal. He played a big part in Belgium reaching the 2014 World Cup. This was their first World Cup since 2002. In their first match against Algeria, he came on as a substitute and scored the equalizing goal. Belgium won that game 2–1.
During the qualifying for UEFA Euro 2016, Fellaini scored many goals. He scored two goals against Cyprus. He also scored the winning goal against Israel.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Fellaini scored another important goal. He scored the equalizing goal against Japan in the Round of 16. Belgium went on to win that game 3–2. Belgium finished third in the tournament. On 7 March 2019, Fellaini announced he was retiring from international football. He played 87 games for Belgium and scored 18 goals.
How Fellaini Played
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Marouane Fellaini was a very flexible player. He could play in many different positions. He often played as a defensive midfielder. He also played as a central midfielder, running from box to box. Sometimes, he even played closer to the goal as a second striker.
He was known for his strong tackles and hard work. Even though he wasn't the fastest, he was great at winning the ball. He also had a good eye for goal from midfield. He could shoot and pass well with both feet.
Because of his height and strong build, he was excellent in the air. He scored many goals with his head. His managers often used him to win high balls. This made him a very useful player for his teams.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Standard Liège | 2006–07 | Belgian First Division | 30 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 40 | 4 | ||
| 2007–08 | Belgian First Division | 31 | 6 | 5 | 1 | — | 3 | 0 | — | 39 | 7 | |||
| 2008–09 | Belgian First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 64 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 11 | ||
| Everton | 2008–09 | Premier League | 30 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 35 | 9 | ||
| 2009–10 | Premier League | 23 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 1 | — | 34 | 3 | ||
| 2010–11 | Premier League | 20 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 25 | 3 | |||
| 2011–12 | Premier League | 34 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | — | 43 | 5 | |||
| 2012–13 | Premier League | 31 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 36 | 12 | |||
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 141 | 25 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 177 | 33 | ||
| Manchester United | 2013–14 | Premier League | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 27 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 31 | 7 | |||
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 18 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — | 34 | 4 | ||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 28 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 47 | 4 | |
| 2017–18 | Premier League | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 5 | |
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 21 | 2 | ||
| Total | 119 | 12 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 32 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 177 | 22 | ||
| Shandong Taishan | 2019 | Chinese Super League | 22 | 7 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 4 | — | 34 | 12 | ||
| 2020 | Chinese Super League | 12 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 6 | 1 | 23 | 8 | |||
| 2021 | Chinese Super League | 20 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 23 | 11 | ||||
| 2022 | Chinese Super League | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — | 28 | 7 | |||
| 2023 | Chinese Super League | 26 | 11 | 3 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 13 | ||
| Total | 108 | 39 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 7 | 1 | 141 | 51 | ||
| Career total | 432 | 85 | 63 | 16 | 17 | 5 | 58 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 579 | 117 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2007 | 8 | 1 |
| 2008 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2009 | 7 | 1 | |
| 2010 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2011 | 6 | 1 | |
| 2012 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2013 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2016 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2017 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 7 | 2 | |
| Total | 87 | 18 | |
- Scores and results list Belgium's goal tally first
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 June 2007 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Portugal |
1–1 | 1–2 | UEFA Euro 2008 qualification | |
| 2 | 11 October 2008 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Armenia |
2–0 | 2–0 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 3 | 14 November 2009 | Jules Ottenstadion, Ghent, Belgium |  Hungary |
1–0 | 3–0 | Friendly | |
| 4 | 12 October 2010 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Austria |
2–2 | 4–4 | UEFA Euro 2012 qualification | |
| 5 | 11 October 2011 | Esprit Arena, Düsseldorf, Germany |  Germany |
1–3 | 1–3 | ||
| 6 | 29 May 2013 | FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, United States |  United States |
4–1 | 4–2 | Friendly | |
| 7 | 7 June 2013 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Serbia |
2–0 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification | |
| 8 | 5 March 2014 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Ivory Coast |
1–0 | 2–2 | Friendly | |
| 9 | 17 June 2014 | Mineirão, Belo Horizonte, Brazil |  Algeria |
1–1 | 2–1 | 2014 FIFA World Cup | |
| 10 | 28 March 2015 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Cyprus |
1–0 | 5–0 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification | |
| 11 | 3–0 | ||||||
| 12 | 31 March 2015 | Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem, Israel |  Israel |
1–0 | 1–0 | ||
| 13 | 7 June 2015 | Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France |  France |
1–0 | 4–3 | Friendly | |
| 14 | 2–0 | ||||||
| 15 | 3 September 2015 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Bosnia and Herzegovina |
1–1 | 3–1 | UEFA Euro 2016 qualification | |
| 16 | 5 June 2017 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Czech Republic |
1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly | |
| 17 | 6 June 2018 | King Baudouin Stadium, Brussels, Belgium |  Egypt |
3–0 | 3–0 | ||
| 18 | 2 July 2018 | Rostov Arena, Rostov-on-Don, Russia |  Japan |
2–2 | 3–2 | 2018 FIFA World Cup |
Notes
Honours and Awards
Marouane Fellaini won many awards and trophies during his career:
Standard Liège
- Belgian First Division: 2007–08
Manchester United
- FA Cup: 2015–16; runner-up: 2017–18
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
Shandong Taishan
- Chinese Super League: 2021
- Chinese FA Cup: 2020, 2021, 2022; runner-up: 2023
Belgium
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Awards
- Best Belgian Player Abroad: 2008
- Belgian Bronze Shoe: 2008
- Ebony Shoe: 2008
- Everton Young Player of the Season: 2008–09
- Premier League Player of the Month: November 2012
- Belgian Lion Award Best Player Abroad: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Marouane Fellaini para niños
